Home-based travel businesses are no longer the wave of the future. Home-based travel businesses are the hot trend right now. So if you’re considering becoming a travel agent, this short guide will give you the information you need to know.
First, there are generally two types of home-based travel businesses:
- referral agencies
- Booking and sales agencies
Home-based travel companies that fall under the category of referring agencies do exactly that: they refer people to a travel agency. They may have multiple agencies that they refer people to, but they usually have one travel agency that they work with on a regular basis. In exchange for referrals from a home-based business travel agent, the travel agency pays a referral fee or commission percentage on what the travel agency receives from the vendor. Part-time referral agents can earn up to $500 on each sale, and sometimes even more.
Home-based travel companies that fall under the category of booking and sales agencies generally work with a travel agency. These booking and selling travel agencies actually do the booking and planning involved in making all the necessary arrangements for big trips.
These are people who enjoy attending to all the little details. They serve, more or less, as facilitators between their clients and a travel agency. Home sales and booking travel sales agents earn a much higher percentage of the overall commission, but they DO do a lot more work. However, a full-time employee at this can earn $50,000 or more a year.
Some things to consider before deciding to open your own home-based travel business are:
- Do I need any special training or education?
- Should I do this part-time or full-time?
- Does my family support me in my decision?
- Do I have a room in my house where I can set up an office?
- Do I need to get an additional phone line?
- What kind of office equipment do I need?
- What will I do with accounting?
- How do I manage my tax needs?
- Is this a job I will love?
- How much money do I want to earn?
- Should I do any advertising?
- Do I have the contacts I need to take advantage of this business opportunity?
- If I don’t, how do I make the contacts I need?
- Am I willing to put the necessary effort into this business?
- Does my state require me to have a business license?
Once you’ve answered all or at least most of these questions, you’ll need to create a business plan, outlining the steps you’ll need to take to achieve your goal of having your own home-based travel business. And a plan is useless unless you follow it.
You also need to make sure that your business plan is realistic. If you have to take a course to run the kind of home-based travel agent business you want to have, deciding to open a store next week is unreasonable. By being realistic in your business plan, you will save yourself untold frustration as you start and grow your business.
And starting your own business, whether it’s a cruise ship home travel business or a European vacation home travel business, can be frustrating. Prepare for obstacles to rear their ugly little heads when you least expect it, and keep going as long as you can.
Their goal is to offer professional and superior travel services. Don’t let a grumpy customer get to you. Always maintain a pleasant and cheerful attitude. You can yell later. Better yet, you laugh a few times with your friends, over a glass of fine wine that you bought with the money you’ve earned as a home business travel agent.